Beach Trip Part 1

Coleman has been asking me since like, the first day at the beach when i was going to do a post on the beach trip, so here you go coleman.

i'm going to break this up into a couple of posts, because there are way too many pictures for just one!

the outer banks probably one of my favorite places on earth.  i can't remember a year we didn't go, and some of our favorite memories growing up are from our trips down there.  i was so excited this year to be able to go for 2 whole weeks!  and that cody was able to take a week off work and come with us for the first week. 

mae did great on the drive down.  it took entirely too long to get there.  but we made a few quick stops to let her get out and run around.  toward the end she was just ready to be out of her car seat.

 munchkin was not too sure about the sand at first.  it took her a while to get used to it, and to sit in it.  then she wouldn't put her hands in it.  but by the end of the trip she was a total beach baby.

 my family doesn't mess around when it comes to the beach.  when we go to the beach, we spend almost all day down there. here's how we set up shop...

playing with daddy

first family pic at the beach

first venture into the water

she did great in the water.  we would take her to the water's edge and let her play, and she would keep walking straight in.

i'm sure we walked miles up and down this beach.  while we were there, she started walking on her own.  she had done it a little bit before, but never went too far.  at the beach she took off one day, and pretty much hasn't slowed down or looked back.

many games were played.  i can't remember a year when these guys weren't playing capitalism, risk, or monopoly.  so i had to get a picture of reid, coleman, patrick, and kelsey in action...

 

little lady made quite a few friends down there. there was a group next to us the first week that would say "hi mae" every time we saw them.  and she loved it.  she always made her way over to where they were. they even put in a request for this bathing suit a few times.

 there was never a dull moment for her.  always someone to play with.  and she loved it.  i'm sure she feels like she doesn't get enough attention now that we are home and it's just the two of us all day

in the water with uncle erich

 when we were kids we used to wear colored zinc on our faces.  we loved having all different colors.  so uncle erich and aunt mattie bought some for mae!

these two are going to be great parents one day!

what i've learned...so far

since becoming a mom, there are quite a few things that i've learned.  i decided to write a few of the things that i'm learning on this crazy journey.

1. even when you get back to your pre-baby weight, your body will not be the same.  it's amazing how different the shape of my body is after having a baby.  things that used to fit fine suddenly fit weird, or don't fit at all.  it was kind of frustrating, but i'm getting used to it.

2.  you can read tons and tons of books to prepare for having a baby, but it's really a learn as you go/ trial and error process.  and the babies in all the books...i'm convinced they don't exist.  where are these babies that sleep for 12 hours at night and take 2 good naps during the day?

3.  i wouldn't describe myself as a go-with-the-flow easy going lady.  but since having a baby, i'd like to think that i have mellowed out.  i've learned that you can't control every little thing.  you can plan and plan, but sometimes she'll just want to eat at 11 instead of 11:30, or she wont want to nap until 2 instead of 1.  as a person who likes a schedule, i'm trying to learn how to go with the flow.

4.  i won't always feel that being a mom is rewarding.  bottom line - it's hard dirty work.  but, i'm learning to see those sweet moments with her as my reward.  when she cuddles (which is pretty much never), smiles, giggles, learns something new; i'm learning that those moments are what i need to cherish and remember.

5. i thought we did a good job of baby proofing...check again sister. check again.  that baby will get into the weirdest stuff, and find things that you didn't even know you had.

6.  sometimes babies need a good cry.  haven't you ever had a time when you needed to let it all out?  well, i learned sometimes what they need is to just get it all out.  and, it's okay that they do.

7.  you aren't the only one who hasn't caught their baby as they fell when they we walking up the stairs.  or who wasn't watching them close enough.  and while it's a pretty awful feeling, it's comforting to know that you aren't the worst parent in the world.

8.  the veil between heaven and earth is so thin.  when you have that tiny babe in your arms, it is probably one of the times you will be the closest to heaven.  i have had so many wonderful spiritual experiences as i've held mae in my arms.  write them down.

4th of july and other shenanigans

as usual, i didn't take any pictures during the 4th of July festivities.  but i remembered after we got home, so we did a quick photo shoot.  gram got us all matching shirts.  as i went out to run some quick errands during the day, it was so neat to see pretty much everyone in red, white, and blue.  what an amazing blessing to live in this country and to enjoy the freedoms that we have.  i'm grateful that my daughter will grow up in a land where she has the right to pursue any and all of her dreams.

i talked to a lady at mattie's pool who said there are some really great fountains for kids to play in at One Loudoun.  so, i figured we would head on over there to check them out.  mae had a blast.  she was all over the place trying to chase the water, but she wasn't quite fast enough to get to the fountains in time.  she got blasted in the face a few times.  but she enjoyed every minute of it.  she was trying to get in on the action with the big kids.  she is becoming quite the social butterfly.

little lady has started climbing the stairs.  i was cooking dinner one night and i heard a thud, but i figured she had just slipped on the wood floor (obviously it's happened a number of times, she and i have both become immune to it).  a few minutes later, i couldn't see her, so i went around the corner, and there she was climbing the stairs.  lady is a daredevil.

we've still got crazy hair...

and post milk stare downs at uncle coleman...

summa summa summertime

summertime is in full swing around here.  we love it!  just a few short weeks and we'll be at the beach for our yearly trip.  in the meantime, we are doing all we can to keep up with our little lady, and to keep her busy!

in our efforts to keep the munchkin busy, we decided to buy a kiddie pool for the backyard.  (not as exciting as gram and gramps pool, but fun nonetheless.)  we went to fill it up, and cody reminded me that the hose bib in the backyard doesn't work, so we had to use pots and pitchers to fill it up...aren't we classy?  Luckily there's a bathroom in the basement so it didn't take too long.

It took her a bit to warm up to it, but once she did she had a great time.

love this picture.

 i try to get this girl outside as much as i can.  partly because i can't stay inside all day, and love to be outside.  but mostly because she loves it, and it wears her out!  so, we go on lots of walks around here.

 we also make trips to the playground.  she loves watching the big kids run around.

mover and a shaker

i think mae might be the most photographed baby.  we're so lucky to have grandpa bryan close by.  he has taken her picture each month, and it's been so neat to have those pictures!  and i'm not going to lie, it makes me not feel like a bad mom for not taking more pictures.
mae has gotten used to the camera.  as soon as grandpa gets that thing out she starts cheesin'.  cody and i tried to record her walking a little bit the other day, but when we got the camera out she only wanted to strike a pose.
these are some of my favorite pics that grandpa took last month...

she is keeping mommy and daddy busy!  she scoots all over and can actually get going pretty fast.  she pulls herself up on pretty much everything.  and has even started taking steps on her own.  she is a mover and a shaker.  but, with how much she moved in my belly, i had a feeling this is how she would be.
my friend kelly gave us her daughter hayden's old walker, and mae absolutely loves it.  when we went to visit them, she was cruisin' all over their house in that thing.  sadly, we don't have as much room in our house, so she gets stuck a lot.
her aunt and uncles love her, and she loves them.  she probably loves all of the attention that she gets from them.  there is no shortage of that when it comes to this homegirl.
she's very much the daddy's girl.  it's super cute.  even in the morning when cody is taking a shower, she wants to be in the bathroom waiting for him.  he's an awesome daddy.

fell asleep drinking my bottle

Class of 2013

this past week my youngest brother graduated from briar woods high school!  what an awesome accomplishment.  it was fun to be part of all of the festivities, and to be able to see him walk across the stage. 

it's still hard to believe that my baby brother is a graduate!  i remember the first time i held him when we went to see him in the hospital.  i can't believe that was 18 years ago!

he is one awesome kid.  and i'm so lucky to have him as my brother and my friend.  it's been so fun to see him excel in so many different things, and to watch him grow into the young man he is today.

here are a few of my favorite pics of reid and i from the past few years...

and here is the graduate!

 i helped him decorate his cap with the utah state logo!  what a fun thing to do, i wish we could have done that in high school.  it was really neat to look out and see all the decorated caps.  (it definitely kept coleman and i busy during a few long speeches)

BWHS class of 2013!

so proud of you reid! on to amazing things at utah state!

...and another one

we have another tooth.  two on the bottom.  i would post a pic, but mae's tongue is constantly in the way, so it's hard to get a picture.  but they're there!

we have also started an unconventional method of scooting.  she now is everywhere and into everything.  i thought we had done a fairly thorough job of baby proofing, i was sadly mistaken. 

she is also pulling herself up on anything and everything. her favorite is the stair bars, she's learned how to move from one end to the other.  luckily we already have a baby gate on the stairs!

she is still sleeping in awkward positions...

she's holding her bunny/blanket that uncle reid got her.  she loves that thing. 

and she's still loving the pool!

keeping up with this girl is hard! she has so much life and energy, and is a busy little bee.  i'm trying to just enjoy her, and find the joy that she kinds in all her new skills and discoveries.  i'm also trying to learn how to be okay with things not always getting done around the house...it's hard!

we've been super busy with relief society, family in town, and graduation festivities for reid and shelby to name a few.  luckily cody doesn't have any classes this summer so we've been able to have more time with him. we're loving spending time with family.  and mae has been so good about being toted all around town.  and has been great meeting all these new people.